Description: "This book tells the story of the rise and decline of Old King Coal as the dominant source of energy and power in the United States from roughly the late eighteenth century to World War II. More broadly put, it is a book about the various energy transitions during these years, but the emphasis is on coal as a source of fuel and power"--
Brief description: Mark Aldrich is the Marilyn Carlson Nelson Professor Emeritus of Economics at Smith College and the author of Death Rode the Rails: American Railroad Accidents and Safety, 1829-1965; Back on Track: American Railroad Accidents and Safety, 1965-2015; and Safety First: Technology, Labor, and Business in the Building of American Work Safety, 1870-1939.
Review Quotes: [The Rise and Fall of King Coal] is recommendable to anyone interested in understanding how coal and markets interacted historically in the USA from the point of view of economic history, business history, history of advertising, history of science and commodity history....With coal exports rising in Indonesia and Australia and absolute production rising in other parts of Asia, the market context of coal is important knowledge, for which Mark Aldrich's book is a wonderful start.
--H-Soz-Kult